About homestay
Community Based Tourism is a form of sustainable tourism that allows visitors to connect closely with the communities they visit. This emerging form of travel gives tourists authentic experiences, while allowing revenue generated by tourism to remain in the often rural, poor, or economically marginalized community. Community-Based Tourism provides a source of income for rural community and they invite tourists to visit their communities with the provision of overnight accommodation. It is as practical method for the development of rural communities because it empowers these communities to determine the rate of development, implement initiatives to protect the environment and promote awareness through cultural exchanges.
A homestay refers to the experience of tourists or visitors living together with a selected host family while interacting and experiencing the day to day life of the family, including their cultural lifestyle. The visitors will have the opportunity to participate in routine activities of the community as well as interact with the hosts in the exchange of knowledge, culture and experience. As such, homestay programs can indirectly function as a tool of development by increasing awareness among rural communities on preserving the cleanliness of their environment. Community tourism not only encourages cross-cultural understanding between host and visitor but also embraces the bottom line of environmental protection, cultural conservation, social responsibility, economic health, and the enhancement of livelihoods. Because communities are the owners of these tourism enterprises, they have the incentive to establish standards for international tourists and invest in a quality tourism product.
